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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pop — music
  3. charge — a price
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pop — soda
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. charge — in control
  15. can — a tin
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — a tin
  18. perch — the fish
  19. can — to be able to
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lean — to bend
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com